Naps Are Short

You have received quite a bit of advice, I just thought I would throw in my two cents. Yes, your little one's napping habits are normal and nothing to worry about. I am jealous that you get 30 minutes! My oldest (now almost 11) was a cat napper. I would no more than get her down for a nap, make sure she was really asleep, get undressed to take a shower when she would wake up and be ready to play. 10-15 minutes at a time. She never cried when she woke up, just woke up babbling and happy. I tried to leave her in there to see if she would fall back asleep but then she would just get mad. Eventually she did take 1 good nap (good, HA! an hour) a day with a cat nap or two thrown in. The bad news - she gave up naps all together by the time she was two. We instituted quiet time for an hour a day where she played in her room (and sometimes fell asleep for a few minutes) and dad and I would crash on the couch. Our kids each have their own patterns and what works best for them make not fit our schedules. Good luck to you!!

My daughter did the same thing until she was about 6 months, she was a total Cat napper!! Now at 8 months she takes about 3 naps...averaging around 40 min to one hour and sometimes 2 hours. She did seem to eventually grow into a longer napper...but on her own timeline. I personally wasn't worried, neither was her doctor. One thing I did that seemed to help was to put her on her tummy to sleep (My daughter rolled over first on her own and slept for a long time so I caught on and began laying her like that at the beginning of her nap/sleep). Obvously, just make sure her crib is safe enough befoore doing so (i.e. no suffocation hazards). Good Luck to you!

Hi A.,
This is what I found on the babycenter.com:

By this time, the frequency of your baby's naps may have decreased to twice a day -- once in the morning and once in the afternoon. (This usually happens between 4 and 12 months.) Naps are an important source of the total amount of sleep your baby needs to develop properly.
Experts consider napping so important, in fact, that they recommend making a set schedule for it. Plan activities so they don't interfere with naps whenever possible -- your baby will develop regular sleep patterns more easily if you put him down for naps at roughly the same time every day. Generally a baby develops the best sleep habits (and has the best-quality shut-eye) if he naps in the same place he sleeps at night -- though of course there will be times when you need him to catch his zz's in his car seat or stroller.

You may want to use an adaptation of your bedtime routine to put your baby down for a nap. Your naptime ritual can be shorter and less elaborate than your bedtime ritual: a story, a song, and a cuddle, for example.

If your baby has a hard time settling down for a nap, it may be that he's overstimulated. Don't wait until your child is extremely tired before beginning your going-to-sleep routine. If you do, your child may be too wound up to sleep well -- or even to sleep at all. You may want to keep playtime mellow right before your baby's nap. Loud noises and roughhousing could make it hard for your child to settle down and go to sleep.

If your child isn't much of a napper, don't blame yourself or your parenting skills -- even if your best friend reports that her child is taking three-hour naps every day. All you can do is offer your child the opportunity to sleep by preparing him and putting him down on a consistent schedule.

Your baby may be a natural catnapper, consistently napping for less than an hour at a time. As long as he doesn't seem too tired, fussy, or difficult during waking hours, he's getting the sleep he needs.

A.,

My daughter did the same thing, until about 14-15 months, then she started going to one longer nap (1-1 1/2 hrs) and one or two short naps (20-30 min, depending on the day. It seemed to just evolve on it's own. She's 22 months now, and we're trying to get to ONE long nap - some days she still takes two, and every once in a while, none. I think it all depends on the child and, if your schedule allows, you are best just letting her lead with her naps. She knows when she's tired!

Good luck
K.

If you want her to have two naps, then set it up. Have you tried pushing back her morning nap to combine it with the second one? Is she on a schedule of naps or is it kind of haphazard, like when she falls asleep? If it is haphazard, then you choose if you want her to have one or two naps, set the time(s) and she will adjust to the new schedule. If she is scheduled, then combine the first two naps of the day by withholding the first one until it is about half-way between the first two and then lay her down; she may fall into 2 naps that last about 1 to 1.5 hours each or just one really long nap (2-3 hours).

By this age, most babies are taking 2 naps, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Some have even evolved into just one long afternoon (right after lunch) nap. My daughter gave up naps just after she turned 2, so the last 4.5 years have been mostly nap-free...bummer! Enjoy your little one as long as you can.

My son is on the cusp of 11 months and is just now at 2 naps a day--and sometimes three. I used to be so worried about how many naps he took and how long. His naps last anywhere from 30min to 1hour. I would read about how the closer a baby gets to his first birthday he should be down to 1 nap. I have now realized that every child is different. I would try and stretch the time between the naps, but it never really worked. The poor little guy was truly tired and needed that sleep! I think your little one is just where SHE needs to be as far as sleep is concerned. She will eventually show you that she can last a little longer in between naps (sometimes it's only 30 min) But don't worry, she will get there. And her naps will eventually get longer. Don't listen to other people who think they know how long and when your baby should sleep. Only your child knows and it sounds like it is working for her. You are doing a good job mom! Keep following her sleepytime cues and you will get there!

As in all things our children do, this too is just a phase and will pass. Try to enjoy the frequent breaks with a cup or coffee or some quite reading time. Really these oppurtunities to take a break go away really fast as kids get older and you have more of them.

I think that you are lucky that your kid takes as many naps as she does even if they are short. When my son was a baby he slept wonderfully until he was two weeks old, then he would only take 2-3 naps a day that were only 5-15 minutes long. And at 3 1/2 he is still like that. All kids are different and some seem like they run on never ending batteries.

Do you go in when she wakes up or do you give her time to put herself back to sleep? She may not have learned how to put herself back to sleep during the day.

I would try to eliminate the first and last nap by keeping her busy. Baths and outside time always worked best for me. If she seems to fall asleep at certain times each day, try to avoid quiet activities during those times and try to avoid trips in the car where she will relax and fall asleep. Also, decide what times her 2 naps will be and stick to a schedule. I found that all my kids at that age usually needed a nap about 90 minutes to 2 hours after waking up in the morning, and then a second nap in the afternoon after lunch, usually around 1 pm. If you pick a schedule and put her down at the times you decide, eventually, she will adapt to it, and keep her awake with activities when you want her awake. Having those longer naps is important for you also to have some "grown-up time".

A.,

We just took our 16 month old daughter down to one nap a day for the same reason. Her naps were getting to be around 30 minutes. First, we started pushing the morning nap back. We'd either delay it or just plan activities during that time. Second, we'd go to every other day for the naps, and keep her active for as long as possible. Then, we just stopped putting her down all together. We're still in this last phase and she does get grumpy some days, but her afternoon nap is longer and she seems happier overall.

Just take it a step at a time and follow the cues from your daughter, she knows what she needs. It's up to us as parents to figure all that out.

Hope this helps,
Melissa

Is her room dark? Even in the day time. As she goes in and out of sleep (which is natural) the light may be waking her up or she thinks if it is light outside then it is *morning*. You don't have to make it pitch black, but find a way to block out most of the light.

Boy I miss naptime!

My son did the same thing, with great sleep & 3-4 half hour naps per day, until around one year. At that point he switched us up and started taking 2 TWO HOUR naps for couple weeks, and then into a more "normal" morning and afternoon one hour naps for about another year. My guess is that, since the 2 hour MIGHTY-naps coincided around him walking-running & a growth spurt, that it was physical need pure and simple that changed his napping pattern.

We chose not to manipulate his napping, & figured the "I sleep when I'm tired, I'm awake when I'm not!" period in life is a blessing that doesn't last long and just worked our schedules around his. That and most of our friend's babies had stopped napping entirely...so we counted our blessings as well as his.